SL eves pull off consolation win

Sri Lanka Women skipper Chamari Atapattu on Monday  led from the front to help her team pull off a consolation 10-run win over South Africa Women in an inconsequential group match of the ICC World T20 here. Opting to bat, Sri Lanka could post only a modest 114 for seven but then managed to restrict South Africa to 104 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.

South Africa produced a disciplined bowling and fielding effort to contain Sri Lanka to a modest total but it proved to be enough in the end.

Captain Atapattu’s patient 49-ball 52 paid off as she took the Lankans past 110-run mark before Sugandika Kumari (2/24) and Udeshika Prabodhani (2/13) picked up South African wickets at crucial stages of the match. Even Atapattu chipped in with a wicket. Chasing 115 for victory, South Africa began strongly by putting on 50 runs for the opening wicket but suffered a batting collapse in middle overs and eventually failed to scamper through at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. They were comfortably placed at 50 for no loss in 10th over when Dane van Niekerk (24) was run out by a fine throw by Atapattu, and that opened the floodgates. 1st innings report